Wardrobe-trunk.



' W. V. SGHNUR.

WARDROBE TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.G.1914.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LlTHD-, WASHINGTON, D. C

W. v. SGHNUR.

WARDROBE TRUNKw APPLICATION FILED APR.s.1914.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

WILLIAM V. SCHNUR, 0F GLENOOE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 P. BECKER & COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WARDROBE-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM V. SGHNUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glencce, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in W'ardrobeTrunks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trunks, particularly to wardrobe trunks, andhas for its object to provide in a trunk a follower device for holding garments in proper place, consisting of a follower board and certain novel and improved devices and arrangements for engaging the same with said trunk in different positions. These devices and arrangements are improvements in several respects over those heretofore used in connection with the follower boards of wardrobe trunks. For example, the arrangement is simpler, more compact and more economical to manufacture. Furthermore, the follower of my invention, together with the devices for holding the same in position in the trunk against the garments or other articles therein, provide a strong and efficient brace for the trunk. This is particularly advantageous in the wardrobe section of a wardrobe trunk, in which the follower is ordinarily used, because the wardrobe section of a trunk, containing no drawers or trays, is relatively weak in its structure.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred construction in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wardrobe trunk with part of the side wall of the trunk broken away to show the follower device of my invention as applied to the wardrobe section of the trunk. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the trunk opened out; Fig. 3, a view, in perspective, of the follower board; Fig. 4:, a detail view, in perspective, of one of the hook forming plates by which the follower board is slidably engaged with guide rods attached to the sides of the trunk; Fig. 5, a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View through the wardrobe section of the trunk and the follower board; Fig. 6, a detail sectional plan on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7, a sectional view-taken on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawlngs.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the cabinet section of a wardrobe trunk, and 11 the wardrobe section. The latter is provided with a rack 12 for supporting hangers on which garments 14 may be hung.

l5 designates a follower board which may be of any desiredconstruction. The board is provided, preferably near its upper end, with a pair of oppositely disposed plates 16 formed with slots 17 so that hooks are provided which project from said follower board from opposite lateral edges thereof. The plates 16 are formed adjacent the open ends of the hooks with angularly disposed lugs 18. The trunk is provided. preferably near its upper end, with a pair of guide rods 19,preferablysquare or otherwise polygonal in cross section. which are secured to the side walls 20 of the trunk by brackets 21. After the garments have been placed in the trunk the follower board is put in position by hooking the same over the rods 19. It is kept pressed against the garments. so as to hold the same in proper position. by meansof retaining devices 22 which are slidable upon and may be securely locked. at any desired point. to the guide rods 19. Preferably the retaining device 22. in each case, comprises a flat lower plate 23 which bears against one of the plates 16 on the follower with its lower edge directly above the outstanding lugs 18 of the plates 16. The retaining device is locked to its guide rod 19 by means of a shackle 24 fulcrumed in the retaining device and normally held in engagement with the rod by a spring 25. The shackle 24 has an opening 26 therein through which the rod 19 passes and is formed with lugs 27 which proiect into recesses 28 in the body of the retaining device, the shackle fulcruming on these lugs. I The upper plate 29 is formed with a projecti n 30 serving as a thumb piece. The retaining device may be moved inwardly on the guide rods by simply pushing against it. The movement in the other direction is checked by engagement of the shackle 24 with the rod. The device is released when the trunk is unpacked by drawing the shackle toward the upper plate29 which compresses spring 25.

It will be seen that the engagement of the retaining devices 22 with the plates 16 on the follower board 15 holds the latter firmly in positi n against the garments in the trunk. The engagement between the retaining devices and lugs 18 prevents any up Patented Dec. 29,1914.

u constructions,

and down movement of the follower and hence prevents it from becoming disengaged from the guide rods. By these arrangements the follower board may be guided on a single pair of rods. Moreover, the guidev rods and follower board, when locked together against the articles of clothing in the trunk by means of the retaining devices 22, provide together a reinforcement or bracing structure for the wardrobe section of the trunk which adds. considerably to the strength of the same.

lVhile I have described my invention as embodied in certain preferred constructions and arrangements, it will be apparent that modifications might be devised without departure from the principles of the invention. Therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the exact arrangements and devices shown and described except so far as limited by the express language of certain: ofthe claims herein.

1 claim:

1. The combination with a trunk, of a. follower extending across the trunk from side to side adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, smooth, imperferate guiding elements within said trunk on opposite sides thereof with both of which said follower has a sliding engagement, and

retaining devices for the follower adapted to lock automatically to said guiding elements.

2. The combination with a trunk, of'a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, smooth, imperforate guiding elements within said trunk on opposite sides thereof with which said follower has a sliding relation, and retaining devices for the follower adapted to lock automatically to said guiding elements provided with flat surfaces which bear against said follower.

3. The ccmbinationwitha trunk, of: afollower adapted to be pressed against articles: of clothlng in said trunk, guiding elements within said trunk on opposite sides thereof with which said follower has a sliding relation, and retaining devices for the follower adapted to be locked to said guiding elements provided with. flat surfaces which bear against said follower, said follower being:

provided with outstanding lugs which engage said retaining devices, forthepurpose described.

4 T he combination with a trunk-,of a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing'in said trunk, smooth, imperferate guiding elements within said trunk on opposite sides thereof with which said follower has a sliding relation, and retaining devices slidable in one; direction on; said guiding elements and capable of: being locked thereon; in any. desired position as agamstmpr mentm hefither wtmns heunder surfaces of which are flat and bear against said follower board.

The combination with a trunk, of a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, smooth, imperferate guide rods secured to opposite sides of the trunk within the same on which said follower is slidably mounted, and retaining devices for said follower slidable upon and adapted to lock automatically to said guide rods.

6. The combination with a trunk, of a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, smooth, imperferate guide rods polygonal in cross section secured to opposite sides of the trunk within the same on which said follower is slidably mounted, and retaining devices for said follower slidable upon and adapted to lock automatically to said guide rods.

7 The combination with a trunk, of a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, imperforate guide rods in said trunk, hooks on said follower adapted to engage said guide rods, and re taining devices adapted to lock automatically to said guide rods and bearing upon said follower.

8. The combination with a. trunk, of a follower adapted to be pressed against articles of clothing in said trunk, guide rods in said trunk, hooks on said follower adapted engage said guide rods, retaining devices adapted to be locked to said guide rods and bearing upon said follower, and outstanding lugs at the open ends ofsaid hooks adapted to engage with said retaining devices.

9. The combination with a trunk, of a follower, a single pair of imperforate guiding elements within the trunk on opposite sides thereof,and means for locking said follower against articles of clothing in said trunk in fixed and substantially rigid relation with respect to said guiding elements.

10. The combination with a trunk, of a follower provided with lateral hooks, a single pair of imperforate guiding elements within the trunk on opposite sides thereof with which said hooks engage, and means for holding said follower in position against articles of clothing in said trunk and for maintaining the engagement of the hooks with said guiding elements.

11. The combination with a trunk, of a follower, guiderods in said trunk on which the follower is slidably mounted, and retaining devices for holding saidfollower in position against articles of clothing in said trunk comprising, in each case, a hollow casing through which the guide rod passes, a shackle pivoted in said casing and having an opening forsaid guide rod, and a spring interposed between said shackle and said casing.

' .Th ombination; with; a: tr k, of a follower, guide rods in said trunk polygonal in cross section on which the follower is slidably mounted, and retaining devices for holding said follower in position against articles of clothing in said trunk comprising, in each case, a hollow casing through which the guide rod passes, a shackle pivoted in said casing and having an opening for said guide rod, and a spring interposed between said shackle and said casing.

13. The combination with a trunk, of a follower formed with laterally projecting hooks, a single pair of guide rods, polygonal in cross section within the trunk and secured to opposite sides thereof, with which said hooks on the follower engage, and retaining devices slidably mounted on said guide rods comprising, in each case, a casing the bottom of which bears flatwise on said follower, a pivoted shackle in said casing having an opening through which the guide rod eX- tends, and a spring interposed between the shackle and the casing, said hooks being formed near their open ends with outstanding lugs adapted to engage said retaining devices.

14. The combination with a trunk, of a follower, plates secured to opposite sides of said follower and formed with openings, a single pair of imperforate guide rods in said trunk on opposite sides thereof engageable by said plates, and retaining devices adapted to be locked to said guide rods, the inner sides of which are fiat and bear against said plates.

15. The combination with a trunk, of a follower, plates secured to opposite sides of said follower and formed with openings, a single pair of guide rods in said trunk on opposite sides thereof engageable by said plates, and retaining devices adapted to be locked to said guide rods, the innersides of which are fiat and bear against said plates, said platesbeing formed with outstanding projections which engage said retaining devlces.

16. The combination with a trunk, of a follower, plates secured to opposite sides of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the said follower and formed with openings, at single pair of guide rods polygonal in cross section arranged in said trunk on opposite sides thereof engageable by said plates, and retaining devices adapted to be locked to said guide rods, the inner sides of which are flat and bear against said plates, said plates being formed with outstanding projections which engage said retaining devices.

17 The combination with a trunk, of a follower, plates secured to opposite sides of said follower and formed with hook forming slots and with outstanding lugs at the extremities of the hooks, a single pair of guide rods polvgonal in cross section arranged in said trunk on opposite sides thereof engageable by said hooks, and retaining devices adapted to be locked to said guide rods which bear flatwise against said plates and are engaged by said lugs.

18. The combination with a trunk, of a pair of oppositely disposed supports on the inside of the trunk, a follower board slidably engaging said supports and separate locking members slidably mounted on each of said supports and adapted to hold said follower snugly against the contents of the trunk at any desired point along said supports, said follower being removable from said supports without detaching said looking members.

19. The combination with a trunk, of a pair of oppositely disposed supports arranged on the inside thereof, each of said supports being attached to the trunk at a plurality of points, a rigid follower board slidably engaging said supports, a separate locking member nondetachably and slidably mounted on each of said supports and adapted to slide freely along said supports toward said follower and to lock at any desired point on said supports against movement in the opposite direction.

WILLIAM V. SCHNUR.

WVitnesses:

L. A. FALKENBERG, H. M. GILLESPIE.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

